AG/RES. 1505 (XXVII-O/97)

SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES OF EXPERIENCE AMONG OMBUDSMEN

(Resolution adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the increasingly important role of the ombudsman in the Hemisphere, whose post is referred to in various legal systems in Latin America and the Caribbean as "defender of the people," "defender of the population," and "human rights attorney" or "human rights commissioner";

HIGHLIGHTING the role being played by ombudsmen or defenders of the people in strengthening democratic governance and in consolidating the promotion and dissemination of citizens' rights; and

CONSIDERING the favorable discussion about the role of the ombudsman at recent Ibero-American summits of heads of state and government, especially at the latest summit in Santiago, where explicit mention was made of the institution in the conclusions; as well as the Secretary General's reference to the ombudsman as an integral part of the new vision of the OAS and the statements by the most important organizations representing the institution of the ombudsman, such as the International Ombudsmen Institute at its October 1996 meeting in Buenos Aires, promoting the holding of international meetings and closer ties with international organizations, including the Organization of American States and other organs and agencies of the inter-American system,

RESOLVES:

1. To take into account the initiatives taken by ombudsmen, or defenders of the people, defenders of the population, human rights attorneys, and human rights commissioners, within the purview of the Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen (IFO), to hold its Third Annual Congress Peru in 1998.

2. To support the efforts of defenders of the people in the Hemisphere, urging them to persevere in their important work.

3. To recommend to the international community in general, that it provide, as far as practicable, its valuable support in holding the Congress and in strengthening the institution of the ombudsman in the Hemisphere.

4. To urge the organs of the inter-American system to promote exchanges of experience among ombudsmen or defenders of the people, defenders of the population, human rights attorneys, and human rights commissioners in the Hemisphere, within allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.